Super Bowl rivals test finals turf

NEW YORK - Super Bowl 48 rivals Seattle and Denver conducted final stadium walkthroughs yesterday, one day before they meet on the field in the NFL showdown.

Coming off their last training sessions, both teams expressed confidence in their preparations for the title clash of clubs that shared the NFL's best record this season at 13-3.

"And now we wait," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said.

"We finished like I hoped we would finish and I thought our execution was very good."

The game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will be the first outdoor Super Bowl in a cold-weather city.

But what many expected to be the coldest Super Bowl in history now appears unlikely to break the record low of 39 degrees (3.8 Celsius) from the 1972 Super Bowl in New Orleans, according to forecasters.

Denver boasts a historic offensive unit led by 37-year-old quarterback Peyton Manning, the only player on either club to have won a Super Bowl crown, that with Indianapolis in 2007.

The Broncos scored an NFL one-season record 606 points while Manning set one-season passing marks with 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns.

"I feel good about where we are," Broncos coach John Fox said.

"Our guys have worked hard all week and the preparation has been good."

The Seahawks have the NFL's top-rated defence, allowing the fewest points and yards with a league-best 38 takeaways, including a league-high eight interceptions by defensive back Richard Sherman.

Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, only 25 and in his second NFL season, provides a run-pass threat that could keep Denver defenders cautious, helping open pathways for running back Marshawn "Beast Mode" Lynch.